Bliss n Eso - Running on Air

Running on Air went to the top of the Australian iTunes album charts on its release, and soon afterwards hit the top of the ARIA chart too, going Gold in less than two weeks. Bridging the divide between the Australian mainstream and the underground, Bliss n Eso seem to have achieved what many of today’s acts can only dream of: commercial success without selling out their sound and their ideals.

Bliss n Eso haven’t done the fame game the easy way. There was no sudden launch into stellar territory from empty space. Releasing their first EP in 2000, they have done the hard yards: first with Obese Records, achieving some success, and subsequently with Illusive, with whom they remain. It’s only in the last few years that they have built on their early momentum and really received the level of acclaim they surely deserve.

To the music though. It’s an album of great fun; insightful lyrics and strong beats throughout. Combining traditional hip-hop sampling with a deeper , dirtier rock attitude and a pocketful of collaborators, Bliss n Eso have produced a release with few weak spots and huge summer potential.

Addicted slips a strong, rise up, motivational message into an uplifting orchestral  encounter. ‘Who are you to tell me how to live my life / cos I won’t give this up / These are my shoes, my view, my cue / To say I do give a fuck’. You might be tempted to see it as just another hip-hop track and gloss over the message, but put those headphones in and you’ve no option but to admit that Bliss n Eso have more to say than your average rapper.

Following on from Addicted comes Down by the River. Unashamedly pitched for the Sydney crew, you don’t have to put too much effort in to see it as a soundtrack to long afternoons with an Esky and a bunch of friends. The acoustic guitar on this one adds to the feeling of honesty: this is a scene reflected up and down the coast, again and again, every year. It’s a scene of Australian youth and perhaps unsurprisingly, it’s also the first single released on the album.

There are a few obligatory nods to the US hiphop scene: Xzibit’s People Up on It won’t win awards for originality, and it does leave some confusion as to why an album with such strong Australian hip-hop stylings needs to include a fairly generic US artist with a fairly generic track. In the context of cracking the US market though, maybe that track is all it needs to open up a few doors.

Bliss n Eso show no fear in their use of Rattling Bones by country crooners Kasey Chambers and Shane Nicholson on Late One Night: indeed, describing them as defiant in their use of such diverse sounds is probably not unfair. It comes together well: just enough to provide the flavour, not so much as to deaden the palate. Mix in some superb lyrical artistry and an infectious groove, and it’s just another string to an already loaded bow.

The whole album is slickly produced, and likely owes a share of its success to accomplished producer MPhazes. Not eclipsed by or even comparable to latter-year Hilltop Hoods work, Running on Air is a fine release; justifiably popular and receiving good airplay nationally. It’s difficult to put your finger on it, but Bliss n Eso have managed to carve out their own niche yet again, and even brainwash some of Australia’s youth with an overwhelmingly positive message.